Something Like Home
by Siansie
Summary: Paige is a 24 year-old widow from Ohio who is devastated after her husband unexpectedly dies in a traffic accident. Although she has lived her entire life in Ohio, she decides to move to Rosewood in order to live with her mom. When she arrives she befriends her neighbor, Emily Fields. With the help of Emily's friendship, Paige starts to heal and feel as though she can love again.
1. An Unexpected Move

**Paige**

Paige never imagined that she would be a widow at twenty-four. She had been married to her husband, Kieran, for less than two years when he was killed in a traffic accident on his way to work early one morning.

She had met Kieran when they were sophomores at Ohio State. The two had been set up on a blind date through a mutual friend. After that first date they were nearly inseparable. They moved in together the summer before their junior year and Kieran proposed a year later. The two had a small wedding with close family and friends the June after they graduated from OSU.

Paige and Kieran moved to Cleveland that July because Kieran had been offered a job in IT at a small community college. Paige hadn't pinned down a job, but they weren't concerned because Kieran would make enough for them to live modestly for a while. Paige had majored in athletic training—eventually she wanted to go back to school in order to get an MS in athletic training with an emphasis on sports medicine.

The November after they moved to Cleveland, Paige was hired by a local high school to supervise their in-school suspension and to coach the girls' swim team. Prior to Paige, the swim coaches had always been rookie teachers who did not know the difference between the back- and the breaststroke. Paige had been a competitive swimmer since childhood, so the school was happy to find a coach who had a vague knowledge of the sport.

That first swim season had been rough. Most of the girls were unregimented and had very little respect for authority. Several of the 'experienced' girls quit the team after they realized that Paige wasn't going to put up with their bad habits and disrespect. The team that was left was mostly freshman and sophomores with very little experience. She was tough, but fair as long as the girls put forth their best efforts. The girls only won two meets that first year, but it was two more than they had won the previous year.

Her second year at the school was better. The returning girls had clearly trained between seasons and many had made remarkable improvements in their times. They were also able to provide much needed leadership to the new girls who joined the team. That year they had actually won more than half of their meets and a few of the girls had made it to state finals. Paige and the team had been very excited about what they could potentially achieve during her third year.

Unfortunately, Paige didn't get her third year with the school. Kieran had been killed in early July. Everything was a blur after she was called to identify his body. His family had been very helpful—they arranged his funeral and helped with the subsequent legal issues that arose.

Paige felt completely unprepared to go back to work in August. She was still struggling with basic day-to-day tasks like eating and washing her clothes, so managing teenagers seemed like a Sisyphean task. In spite of her previous closeness with Kieran's family and having made several friends, Paige had cut herself from everyone.

In mid-August, Paige received a message from her mom saying that she was on her way to Cleveland because she was worried. The following day, Paige's mom showed up at her door. Paige heard her knocking on the door, but she did not answer the door. Her mom kept knocking. "Paige, I know you're in there. If you don't answer the door in the next minute I will be calling the police in order to do a well-person check." Paige sat on her couch for a moment and then slowly got up to answer her door. All she needed was a bunch of police at her door causing a commotion.

Paige unlocked the door and opened it slowly. "You know you really didn't need to come here. I'm fine." Her mom opened the door and walked in; she looked around and saw piles of dirty clothes and various half eaten takeout containers. Her daughter, who had always been fit and well groom looked gaunt and it looked like she hadn't changed in clothes in several days. "It certainly doesn't look like you're fine." Paige walked away from her mother, "Mom, just leave. I'm fine."

Paige's mom walked around the apartment and was increasingly appalled by its state. "Paige, this is unacceptable. I understand you are grieving, but at a certain point you need to start participating in your life. You look like you haven't had a shower or changed clothes in weeks. You're clearly not eating or taking care of yourself. Kieran's mom called me because she said you have not spoken with them in quite some time—she's worried, we're all worried."

Paige sat on her couch stoically, looking as though she was staring through the wall. Before Paige could say anything, her mom started picking up the takeout containers and other garbage from the living room. Once the worst was thrown away, Paige's mom came and sat next to her. She pushed Paige's greasy hair behind her ear and put her arm around her daughter. "Paige, I love you and I get that you are going through something that no one your age should have to deal with, but something needs to change."

Paige rested her head on her mom's shoulder and started to cry. Her tears came silently at first, but the longer she sat there; the more she began to sob. "I just miss Kieran so much mom. We had so many plans. We were supposed to have kids, travel the world…grow old together." Paige's mom continued to hold her, "I know baby—what happened was unfair. No one your age should have to deal with such a loss." Paige continued to sob loudly as her mom held her. "What I do know is that Kieran loved you. He would not want to see your life stop." Paige continued to cry in her mom's arms until her mom felt Paige's body relax. Her mom gently lowered Paige's head to the pillow at the end of the couch. She slowly got off the couch and found the blanket that seemed the least dirty to cover up her daughter's sleeping body.

While Paige slept, her mom began to tidy the apartment; she started the giant pile of laundry and loaded the dishwasher with some of the dirty dishes that littered the apartment. Paige slept for more than fourteen hours. By the time she woke up, her mom had picked up most of the mess and had dozed off in the chair opposite her daughter.

When Paige woke up she was shocked to find her mom sleeping across from her and that her apartment was something approximating clean. Paige slowly got up and realized that her physical state was incongruent with her newly clean apartment. Paige took the blanket that had been covering her and draped it over her mother.

Paige walked through her apartment and saw that her mom had done all of her dishes and had managed to wash and fold several loads of laundry. Paige picked up her favorite t-shirt and a pair of sweats from the pile of clean laundry and walked into the bathroom for a shower. Paige slowly got undressed and looked at herself in the mirror; she was noticeably thinner and her face was red and blotchy and streaked with old tears and snot. She turned on the shower and waited until the water warmed. Once it was warm she stepped in and stood there as the warm water cascaded over her naked body. She washed her hair, face, and body and felt reinvigorated by the warm water and fragrance from the citrus shampoo and body wash.

She stepped out of the shower and felt the cool air rush over her body. Once she noticed the goose bumps forming all over her body she wrapped herself in a warm towel and started to brush her hair. Although she looked better, her eyes were still sunken and red. She brushed her teeth and quickly got dressed. She pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail and opened the bathroom door.

Her mom had woken up, but was still sitting in the same chair. She looked at Paige. "You look much better." Paige nodded, "I feel a little better." Paige sat back down on the couch and looked at her mom. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I mean, financially I'm fine. Kieran had an exceptional life insurance plan and there is going to be a large settlement from the car accident—I'm not worried there." Paige's mom nodded and continued listening. "I don't know what to do on my own. Kieran's family is great, but it's not the same."

Paige's mom sat there for a moment before she began to talk. "Paige, honey, I know you are an adult and have a life here in Cleveland, but I would like you to consider a move to Rosewood. I know you have never lived there, but I have more than enough space in my house for you. When your dad and I divorced, I knew that I needed a change. If I continued to live in the same town with him I knew that I would never begin to heal. Rosewood is small, but it's close to Philadelphia and has a lot of character. You could stay with me for as long as you needed."

Paige's mom expected that Paige would be resistant to the idea, but as it turned out, Paige was open to the move. She said that everything around the apartment and their neighborhood reminded her of Kieran and the life they were supposed to have. Perhaps a change of scenery and spending time with her mom would be just what she needed.

Less than a week later, Paige and her mother had packed up the apartment and packed everything in the U-Haul trailer they had rented for the move. Paige collected some of Kieran's belongings and took them to his family. Leaving them was hard, but she knew this is what she needed. Two days later the apartment was empty and Paige was on her way to Rosewood, PA to start the next chapter of her life.


	2. Another Goodbye

**Emily**

Emily was a habitual early riser—most likely from the years of early swim practices. Emily rolled over and groped for her phone on the nightstand. It was Saturday morning and she was unfortunately awake before six. She looked over and saw that her girlfriend, Molly, was still fast asleep. Unfortunately Molly would be flying back to Michigan this afternoon because her semester would be starting the following week. Molly was a third year doctoral student in Germanic Studies at the University of Michigan. The two had met at the library while Emily was trying to work on a project for her Human Behavior class. At that time she was starting the final year of her graduate social work program.

They hit it off quickly. Molly was not like any of the girls Emily had previously dated—instead of going to keg parties every weekend, Molly liked to spend time with Emily at her apartment, or at the occasional wine bar. Molly was ridiculously smart and had opinions on nearly every topic. And the fact that she was gorgeous and confident did not hurt.

Unfortunately Emily graduated less than a year later with her MSW. Emily thought about staying in Michigan, but it wasn't economically feasible. Her parents had moved to Texas the previous year but had not sold their home in Rosewood, so they asked Emily if she wanted to live there until she found a job in her field. Once she moved back to Rosewood, finding a job was actually easy. The ancient social worker that had been at Rosewood High forever was actually retiring and the principal loved the idea of hiring "one of their own" to be the new social worker.

Prior to her move, Molly and Emily had many discussions about the fate of their relationship. Ultimately they decided to give the long distance thing a chance. The deciding factor was that they would both be on academic schedules, so it was feasible that their breaks would typically coincide and that would give them the opportunity to see one another several times a year. Being apart was initially difficult, but after some time it became their norm,

Emily slowly got out of bed and put on her running gear. She figured that she could get a solid hour of running in before Molly would even think about getting up. She grabbed a water bottle and her iPod and headed out the door for her run. The morning air had not heated up yet, so her run was exceptionally pleasant. After a while she checked her phone and noticed that Molly had been texting her. Apparently Emily's run had lasted much longer than she thought. She sent Molly a text saying that she would be back in fifteen minutes. Emily probably could have made it in five, but she decided to stop at the Brew for coffees and pastries.

By the time Emily returned home she saw that Molly's bags were packed and sitting by the door—a sad reminder that it would be two more months until they would be able to see one another. Molly was sitting at the kitchen table with her computer. Molly hadn't noticed Emily standing in the doorway, so Emily put down the coffees and pastries on the table in the foyer and quietly walked behind her girlfriend and softly kissed her neck. Molly jumped a little, but then said, "Hanna, what have I told you about kissing me while Emily is away?" Emily playfully punched Molly in the shoulder. "Hanna had better not be kissing you. She knows that her lips are reserved for me." That caused a grin to come over Molly's face.

Emily walked back into the foyer and picked up the coffees and pastries. "I picked up some treats as penance for not being here when you woke up. The weather was so beautiful that my run got away from me." Molly nodded, "I figured as much. To be honest, I am rarely up this early, but I was getting a little anxious about returning to Michigan today."

The girls spent the remainder of their time together eating, talking, and kissing. Leaving was always difficult for both of them. When Molly pointed out the time, Emily begrudgingly got up and started taking Molly's bags to her car. Emily always tried to remain light-hearted on the drive to the airport, but it was difficult. Even though the airport was more than an hour away, the trip always seemed to go way too fast. Once they got there, Emily pulled up to passenger drop-off and helped Molly get her bags from the trunk. They took one final opportunity to hug and kiss goodbye. Emily could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, so she quickly told Molly that she loved her and reminded her to send a text once she made it back to Ann Arbor. Molly waved one final time as she entered the packed terminal.

As per the usual, Emily started sobbing as she left the airport. She had to keep reminding herself that it would not always be like this; God willing, Molly would graduate in three more years and they would be able to start the next chapter of their lives together. Emily tried to distract herself by putting her iPod on shuffle. The first song to play was "The Funeral" by Band of Horses. Although Emily loved that song, she wanted to hear something more upbeat. She skipped through the next five songs only to land on Dinosaur Jr.'s "Said the People"—a song that makes her cry on even her best days. Out of frustration she turned off her stereo and decided to call Hanna.

Hanna and Emily had been living together ever since Emily returned to Rosewood. Hanna was actually a pretty good roommate—she always gave Emily extra space when Molly came to town for a visit. During this visit Hanna had decided to stay with Caleb, her on again/off again boyfriend. Emily dialed Hanna's number and was shocked to hear her friend answer after the first ring. Before Emily could say anything Hanna blurted, " Please tell me the quarterly sex-a-thon is over and I can come home. Caleb is driving me absolutely nuts." Emily laughed, "If you're asking whether or not I have dropped Molly off at the airport, the answer is yes." Hanna's tone changed quickly, "How are you handling it? Do you need me to stop by the store for some wine and Ben & Jerry's?" Emily took a deep breath, "It was really hard this time Hanna. You would think that I would be used to saying goodbye, but it never gets easier." "Well, let's have a girls' night in. We'll binge watch some terrible TV and eat some food that will totally negate the effects of my exercise this week."


	3. Just a Little Help

Emily made it home before Hanna. When she pulled in the drive, she saw a U-Haul sitting in front of the house across the street. Emily had met her neighbor, Mrs. McCullers, a few times—she seemed nice enough, she would always wave when she saw Emily and they would have pleasant enough conversations when they ran into one another in the community. Emily went inside and decided to get a head start on Hanna; she took a beer from the refrigerator and went to sit on the porch in order to take in the good weather. While she was sitting there she saw a young woman come out of Mrs. McCullers' house and step into the U-Haul. The woman had chestnut brown hair that fell slightly below her shoulders and appeared to be around Emily's age. Emily watched the woman stack some smaller boxes and then carry them into the house. The woman came out of the house again and just stood there looking at the back of the U-Haul. She watched as the woman attempted to drag a mattress from the U-Haul. She wasn't making much progress, so Emily decided to go ask if the woman needed some help. The woman's back was turned to Emily as she approached. She jumped and lost her hold on the mattress as Emily asked if she needed some help. "Shit, I didn't hear anyone come up behind me." Emily was quick to apologize, "Sorry, I saw you struggling with the mattress and thought you might need some help." Emily realized that sounded a little strange. "Let me start over, my name is Emily Fields and I live across the street." The woman continued to look flustered—she extended her hand, "I'm Paige McCullers." Emily took her hand, "It's nice to meet you." Up close, Emily could clearly see that Paige looked a lot like Mrs. McCullers. Emily looked toward the mattress on the ground. "Please let me help you with that. It's my fault that it's on the ground." Paige looked flustered, "You really don't need to. It's really not that heavy, it's just awkward." Emily shook her head, "I'm not going to take no for an answer." Emily walked past Paige and grabbed the end of the mattress closest to the door. Paige conceded and picked up the other end. They picked up the mattress so it was vertical to the ground and started to carry it. "See, so much easier with two people. So where is this going." Paige groaned, "Unfortunately, upstairs, second room on the right." They managed to get it upstairs and in Paige's room. Emily looked around, "Wow, this looks a lot different." Emily saw Paige looking at her quizzically. "Oh, one of my friends lived here briefly when we were in high school." Emily didn't want to divulge that the room had belonged to her first real girlfriend, Maya, so she quickly changed the subject. "Why don't I help you with the box springs." "Are you sure, I don't want to bother you." Emily shook her head, "I promise, it's not a bother, physical labor is a nice distraction." The girls went back down stairs and Emily helped with the box springs and a few other heavier items. As they stood outside, Paige looked at Emily. "Thanks so much for helping me with that stuff. I really wanted to get some of the heavier items unloaded before my mom got home from work." Emily nodded her head, "So you are Mrs. McCullers' daughter." Paige nodded, "Guilty as charged." As they were talking, Emily heard Hanna come up behind them, "So there you are. I saw the abandoned beer on the porch and thought maybe you had decided to do something crazy like go on a run." Emily shook her head, "No, I've been helping Mrs. McCullers' daughter, Paige, move in. Hanna extended her hand, "Hi, I'm Hanna, Emily's best friend and amazing housemate." Hanna turned to Emily, "So do you want to get on with the ice cream and wine?" Emily scowled at Hanna for her lack of manners, but before Emily could say anything Paige interjected, "No, seriously, get back to your plans. You have helped me so much. There are just a few odds and ends to get in." Emily furrowed her brow, "Are you sure? I really don't mind." Paige shook her head, "I insist." Emily shrugged, "I know you have a lot to do, but if you want a break or get bored, we will be across the street with some wine and bad TV." Paige nodded, "Thanks for the offer, I'll keep that in mind." As they walked back across the street, Emily looked back over her shoulder at Paige. Hanna elbowed her in the side, "Checking her out much?" Emily blushed, "Absolutely not—just trying to figure her out. Didn't Mrs. McCullers say she had a daughter who was married in Ohio?" Hanna shrugged, "I have no idea. You're the one who feels the need to be nice to the neighbors." Emily playfully pushed Hanna, "You're such as ass." Hanna pushed back into Emily, "But I'm you're ass and you love me for that." Emily grinned and put her arm over Hanna's shoulders, "Indeed I do." Hanna had not been lying when she said she was going to pick up some wine and ice cream. "Jesus Hann, do you think you picked up enough wine." Hanna grinned, "If there's anything my mom has taught me, you can never have enough wine." Emily looked at the counter, "Yeah, but do you really think we need four boxes of wine?" Hanna grabbed two glasses, "Like I said, it's always better to be prepared; so would you prefer a chardonnay or a merlot?" "I'll have whatever you're having. No need to open two boxes." Hanna poured two glasses of chardonnay and headed to the living room. "Grab the box Em—that way we don't have to get up each time we want another glass." Emily smiled as she picked up the box, "Always the classy one Marin." They settled into the couch and turned on the TV. Hanna handed Emily the remote control. "This is your night Fields, you get to pick the show. One request though—please no more Buffy. I really don't get your obsession." Emily smiled, "So that's your one request? You have no idea what you have just unleashed Marin." Emily scrolled down the TV menu for the Netflix icon and then sorted through several items on her list until she landed on the L Word. Hanna snorted, "Really Emily? The L Word?" Emily beamed at Hanna, "You have never even seen an episode. Just think of it as one of your soap operas, except with more boobs and finger banging." Hanna choked on her wine. Once she stopped coughing she looked at Emily. "Did you really just say 'finger banging'? Your mom's head would explode if she heard you say that." Emily shrugged, "What she doesn't know won't hurt her." 


End file.
